Background to this inspection
Updated
9 July 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 19 June 2019, when we visited the service’s office to review records, policies and procedures, and to speak with the registered manager and the office team. We contacted people who used the service, relatives and staff on the 20 and 21 June to get feedback about the service.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, including notifications sent to us informing us about important events that happened. We also received the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about the service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We reviewed a range of records. This included care and support plans for three people. We also looked at three staff files to check the provider's staff recruitment process, induction, training and staff support arrangements. We looked at quality monitoring and other records relating to the overall management of the service.
During the visit to the office, we spoke with the two directors one of whom is the registered manager, the care coordinator and care services manager. We spoke with three care staff by telephone, three people who used the service and one relative. We received feedback from a professional who has experience of the service.
Updated
9 July 2019
About the service:
Friends Care Limited is a domiciliary care service. It provides care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection, 23 people were being supported with a regulated activity of personal care.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.'
People’s experience of using this service:
People were positive about the care they received and about the staff who cared for them. People told us they felt safe receiving support and felt the staff had the right skills and abilities to provide effective support.
People were safe because potential risks to their health and wellbeing were assessed and measures put in place to mitigate risks. There were enough staff to support people safely. People were supported to take their medicines. People were protected from harm by staff who were confident in recognising and reporting concerns. Staff followed effective hygiene processes to prevent the spread of infections.
People were involved in the development and review of their care and had signed a written consent confirming this. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and encourage independence. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff felt they were well supported by the registered manager and demonstrated they had a good knowledge about various topics relevant to their day to day work. Staff attended team meetings and had individual supervision with their line managers.
People knew how to make a complaint or raise a concern if they needed to. Positive feedback was also documented. The service was flexible and responsive to people’s changing needs.
There were a range of quality monitoring processes and audits in place to ensure quality checks were carried out in a timely way and were effective in driving improvements. People were asked for feedback and information from surveys used effectively to improve the service. There was evidence of effective engagement with people, staff and other professionals involved in people’s care.
Staff had the right skills and knowledge to meet people's needs effectively. People had been supported to have enough to eat and drink. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals and services when required. This helped people to maintain their health and well-being.
Staff supported people in a way that respected and promoted their privacy and dignity.
People were happy with how staff supported them and the overall management of the service. They told us that staff were kind and caring.
The service encouraged community events to reduce the risk of isolation. Complaints were managed effectively, and any learning was shared to help reduce the risk of recurrence. The service was not supporting anyone with end of life support at the time of the inspection but could do so if required.
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was Good (published 12 October 2016).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.